


Caught in the Storm

by Accidental_Ducky



Series: Magic Bound Trilogy [2]
Category: Aladdin (1992), Aladdin - All Media Types, Aladdin: The Animated Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2015-01-10
Packaged: 2018-03-07 01:25:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3155696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accidental_Ducky/pseuds/Accidental_Ducky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mozenrath and Kathryn thought Apophis was destroyed by Ra in their last showdown, but they were wrong. Weak and close to death, the god was taken in by a certain Mamluk that wants to hurt Moze in the worst way possible. Together with Agrabah's heroes, Moze and Kat have to fight Destane and Apophis to get their son back. Mozenrath/OC</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Late Nights and Early Meetings

_Pain spread throughout his body, the gaping wound in his side bleeding profusely and ruining his clothing. If he didn’t find shelter soon, he wouldn’t live to get his revenge. Apophis groans, his body beginning to convulse and make his pain worse. This isn’t how that battle should have gone! He should have been the victor, he was the one with the magic! He blames that little witch he was draining magic from; though highly entertaining, she was also a distraction that he didn’t need. His vessel was attracted to her, pure sexual need that was beginning to morph into a twisted kind of love that Apophis couldn’t understand._

_Yes, it was all Kat’s fault that he had lost his battle to Ra—that and Ra’s little protector that showed up at the last minute to join in the fray. No matter, he wouldn’t be having his revenge anytime soon if his body continued to betray him like this. Slowly his thoughts begin to muddle, the black tinging the edges of his vision becoming more pronounced than it had been earlier. He’s dying, fading to nothing because of a teenager with five bucks to her name and a bad attitude._

_“Surely you’re not giving up this easy?” The dark voice echoed around him, a voice he was all too familiar with. He chuckles, but instantly regrets that decision when it only causes more blood to seep out of his mouth and other wounds. “No, we can’t have this when we both need our revenge so very badly.” A Mamluk appears seconds later, picking him up and carrying him towards one of the abandoned houses at the edge of Mozenrath’s kingdom._

_“D-des,” he stutters, wincing at the agonizing pain. His throat burned from Bast’s claws slashing through the flesh. At least all of her wounds were cauterized afterwards, but Ra’s were a bloody mess. The Mamluk lays him down carefully on a pile of rotting straw, staring down at him without an ounce of pity in its dead eyes. It grunts at him, kneeling at his side and tearing his shirt open to get a better look at the damage. “It’s….” he trails off, eyes just narrowed slits as the darkness tries to consume him once more._

**~Present~**

A loud crying wakes Mozenrath abruptly from his dreams of ruling the Seven Deserts—this dream in particular was his favorite, having involved both Kathryn and the Sultana kneeling at his feet in revealing slave outfits while he sat on Agrabah's throne. He only realized something was wrong with his dream when Kat's giggle turned into a baby's wail. With a tired groan, he rolls out of bed and stumbles to the nursery at the end of the hall. If anyone had seen him at that moment they would have thought he resembled one of his Mamluks, but he is alone in the hall; a fact his is none too pleased about. The closer he gets to the nursery, the louder the crying becomes until it's loud enough to make him seriously debate leaving the child for Kat to deal with.

He looks back over his shoulder at his wife's room, but her door is firmly shut and if she did hear their child screaming, then she was excellent at ignoring it. With a prayer that Balian would be easily quieted tonight, Mozenrath pushes the door open and steps inside the dark room. He has to stay in the doorway for a moment until his eyes adjust before walking over to the far wall where the crib is set up. His son's cries lower in volume upon seeing Mozenrath, but do not stop entirely. After a quick check of the infant's diaper and bouncing him gently in his arms afterwards, Mozenrath deduced that the child's problem was hunger and he didn't have to equipment needed to help with that.

"I hope you know that waking your mother is dangerous," he whispers to the child, cradling him gently while he walked out of the nursery to Kathryn's room. Balian continues to fuss, making up Mozenrath's mind entirely to open the door, lay the baby on the bed beside Kat, and run for his life. "Kat?" The raven-haired woman doesn't acknowledge him, laying in an awkward position with her mouth hanging wide open. If he didn't know any better, he'd say the woman was dead, but she slept like this when they shared a bed and he'd often woke up to find one of her feet in his face. "Kat, the baby needs you." A loud snort is all he gets as she shifts positions again; this time curling up into a little ball.

Mozenrath rolls his eyes, laying Balian down on the changing table nearby before sitting down on the edge of the bed. Did he really want to do this? The answer is simple, he'd rather face the Street rat in a fight than wake Kathryn up from a deep sleep she severely needed. He'd offered to hire a nanny for this sort of thing before Balian was even born, but Kathryn was adamant about raising their child right. Now he was regretting going along with her insane idea. "Mm," Kat moans, turning onto her back again. Her black hair stands out against the pale blue covers she was laying on, fanned out around her head in what some would consider a halo, though Moze considered it camouflage to hide the little horns all demons have because his wife was certainly a creature of hell.

"What could you be dreaming?" He places two fingers against her forehead, his Gauntlet glowing a faint red. Seconds later he was surrounded by sand and water at some beach instead of his citadel, the distant cry of seagulls and the crashing waves combining to make a soothing background noise. Overhead the skies are a clear blue with no clouds in sight, the sun shining down freely and bathing everything in warmth. Personally, Mozenrath held no love for this type of outing, he burned much too easily, but he knew that Kat loved the beach and so it made sense that she was dreaming about it. The sorceress was lying on her stomach on a beach chair a few feet away, a large man kneeling beside her and massaging a sort of oil into her skin. The dark red bikini she wore doing little to hide the parts of her body only Mozenrath was allowed to view.

"Mm," she moans when he gets to her shoulders, almost purring. Mozenrath scowls, crossing his arms as the scenery around him begins to change with her dream. The throne room of Agrabah replaces the beach and Mozenrath spots Kathryn sitting on the throne. Her bikini was now almost an exact replica of the outfit Jasmine frequently wore, the only real difference being Kat's outfit is a dark purple. At her feet sit dream versions of himself and Aladdin, the two men dressed in only pants and holding up platters of fruit for her to sample with willing smiles on their pitiful faces. Kat smirks down at them, her thick hair pulled back into an intricate style that left her neck and shoulders bare. Mozenrath wouldn't lie, the outfit aroused him, but he liked the slave outfit he'd pictured even more.

With a smirk, he focuses on manipulating her dream, changing her outfit to indigo, the top clinging to her tightly and pushing her small breasts up and the pants changing to a long skirt with a slit up the sides of it to bare her legs for his inspection. "Much better." Kat glares at him from across the room, standing and placing her hands on her hips in that universal gesture that all men understood as a woman's way of saying  _you're in deep shit now, buddy_. With a little more concentration, the dream men disappear and Kathryn's left unguarded.

"Do you mind," she growls.

"I don't mind actually, though our son might." The mention of Balian had Kat's dark eyes narrowing. "He's hungry and since you didn't want to hire someone to tend to him at night, you need to wake up and deal with him so I can go back to sleep." She scowls, closing her eyes and tilting her head back in exhaustion. The next thing he knew, he was back in the real world and Kat already had their screaming son in her arms. He wouldn't deny that he was slightly jealous of Balian when Kat brings her breast to his sucking mouth, but he wasn't about to break down just so he could have sex.

"Sit your ass down." He obeys instantly, feeling the pull of her magic intertwining with his. "If I have to be awake because of our son, then so do you."

"This is why I wish you didn't want three O'clock feedings," he mumbles to Balian with the tiniest of smiles. Kat slaps his arm lightly, but smiles nonetheless as she looks down at the baby. "Have you started to wean him yet?"

"Yes, he eats some foods now as long as they are smashed beyond recognition." He nods, letting a comfortable silence fall between them, the only noise in the room coming from Balian. He takes the calm moment to examine his wife, noticing the dark circles under her eyes that she hid during the day with concealer and magic; she wasn't eating right, so she had lost weight quickly after Balian was born. Her dark hair fell down to her waist now, a tangled mess she would have hell with in the morning, at least it didn't have any curl to it like her sister's does. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." Her pathetic attempt at a snarl makes him roll his eyes, giving her a look that said all she needed to know.

"Can I go to bed now? Some of us actually have work to do in the morning."

"You're right, some of us do." Her tone is sarcastic now and it sets Mozenrath on edge. "I have a meeting with the other ambassadors tomorrow afternoon in Agrabah, and you are in charge of little man until I get back." She pauses and thinks for a moment, tapping her chin while her eyes sparked with mischief. " _If_ I come back at all, I rather liked that image of a topless Aladdin." The thought of Kathryn leaving him for the Street rat has his temper rising; he knew she was just teasing him, but he would have none of it.  _He_ is her husband, he's the only one who will share her bed! "Calm down, Moze, and take our son back to his crib." She places the now sleeping infant in his arms before flopping back and pulling her covers up over her head. "Shoo."

 _Shoo_ —as if he'd be that easy to dismiss, but just as he was about to make a scathing remark he heard light snoring and knew she was already dead to the world once again. "She's impossible," he tells Balian and only receives another snore, this time from his son.

**~*~The Next Morning~*~**

I let out a small groan when the meeting finishes, standing from the hard, high-backed chair and rubbing my lower back. "Are you okay, kiddo," Genie asks, placing a large hand on my shoulder and using a bit of his magic to turn my pain into a dull throb. "You've looked stressed the entire time and all we talked about today was some new trade routes that don't even go through the Black Sands."

"I left Bae alone with Mozenrath and Xerxes," I tell him as we walk out of the council room into the hall. "Hopefully he at least tries to watch Bae, but I wouldn't bet my life on it." Genie nods, rubbing his jaw with concern evident on his face.

"Great, now you have  _me_  worried."

"Don't be, I'm going straight back to the citadel. I'll see you later." The snake ring on my finger glows a faint purple as I open a portal, step through it, and into the citadel's library. The large room is familiar to me as I spent a lot of time here when I was still an apprentice a few years ago, mainly being thrown around when I couldn't defend myself against Mozenrath's blasts. My eyes travel the length of the room, searching for Mozenrath in all the dark corners of the room where he usually hides out while reading. To my surprise, I find him sitting cross-legged on the floor with one dusty book balanced on his legs and Xerxes wrapped loosely around his shoulders. "Where's Balian?"

Moze looks up at me, blinking slowly as if coming out of a trance. It always took him a few seconds to come back to the real world after reading for long periods of time. "He's taking a nap; I checked on him five minutes ago."

"That's reassuring," I grumble, opening another portal to look in on Bae and releasing a sigh of relief when I find him still slumbering peacefully.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It  _means_  that when you're absorbed in your reading, five minutes could be anywhere from fifteen minutes to three hours." I close the portal and give him a stern look. "And don't try to deny it, you've done that several times on nights I offered to have sex with you." His scowls darkly at me, using magic to put the book back in its place before standing and walking over to where I was leaning against his desk. I know what that look means, and it ain't about to happen. Before he could pull me into a mind-numbing kiss I jump out of his way, walking out of the library and shooting him a grin over my shoulder. "I'm going to take a bath and you can go get our son ready for supper in Agrabah."

"Why are we eating  _there_?"

"Because I told Jasmine you'd make an appearance to the other ambassadors."

"Why not leave Bae with someone we trust?" I roll my eyes at his incessant questioning, seriously considering how he'd react if I taped his mouth shut.

" _Because_  most of the ambassadors are old and old people love babies but hate you." I can hear him snort, but he doesn't ask anything else, so I consider this conversation better than some of the others we've had since I caught him sleeping with one of his whores. "Draw me a bath." The turquoise Mamluk I spoke to gives a sort of nod before shuffling off in the direction of the kitchens to heat the water. "It's so nice to be obeyed, if I could just train Mozenrath I'll consider my life's work complete." I smile to myself, teleporting to my bedroom and beginning to undress.

What should I make Mozenrath wear? If he wears his customary, better-than-you indigo and black fancy clothes no one will think that he's agreed to the truce, but if I make him wear off-white or gold everyone will think he's trying too hard and so he must be faking the entire thing. Maybe a nice cream color would work with some indigo accents? Yeah, then I could wear my new dress and Bae could wear the cute little outfit Genie had bought for him last week. Of course, Mozenrath can't know that Bae's outfit came from Genie or he'd throw a bitch fit and we'd never make it to dinner on time. "Mmm." The customary grunt of a Mamluk has me jumping and covering myself quickly with a robe. Lost in my thoughts, I hadn't heard the undead servant enter my room let alone move to stand behind me. "Mmm."

"Alright, you can leave now." It nods its head and walks off, its feet dragging on the stone floor. The fact that it had been so close made goosebumps raise on my arms. I knew exactly who that particular Mamluk was, Moze's old master, Destane. With one last look around the room to make sure he was gone, I grab a towel and my clothes before running to my bathroom in the adjoining room and slamming the door behind me—locking it to ensure no one could get inside without breaking the door down or using magic, two things that I would definitely notice as long as I was conscious. I lay my clothes and towel on the small table beside the tub, letting my robe fall around my feet before stepping into the water's warm embrace. It was rare for me to enjoy a bath without my son's whining cries, so this was nice and relaxing instead of a race to see how quickly I could wash before Bae's whines turned into a temper tantrum.

I wasn't alone for five minutes before I heard twin whines and felt the air shift with magic. Mozenrath frowns down at me, Balian squirming in his arms and the both of them looking like they were about to burst into tears. "He doesn't like me dressing him," Moze whines, bottom lip sticking out in a pout and his hair framing his face since his turban wasn't there to hold it in place. "Fix him." He holds out the naked baby for me to take.

"Climb in and I'll show you the way to handle him." Mozenrath's eyes widen a fraction, but he does as I said after handing me Balian. I sigh contentedly, settling back against my husband with my head resting against his chest and his arms around my waist. "Don't get used to this." He grunts, rubbing my flat stomach with the palms of his hands. "And certainly make no plans about putting another baby where you're rubbing."

"As fun as the process is, I don't think I want another baby until Balian is at least sleeping the entire night. Maybe when he's three or four." I scoff at that, shaking my head and looking down at Bae.

"Your daddy is a crazy man." He giggles, reaching one tiny hand up to rest on my mouth as though to make me stop talking. "A crazy man that could make himself useful and wash my hair." I can feel his chest vibrate with the laughter he tries to bite back, but soon after he's carefully wetting my hair and trying to keep Balian moderately dry. The feel of his fingers tangled in my hair brings back old memories when he'd done nearly the same thing, the only difference being we were in his bed. At my shiver, Mozenrath pulls me closer, letting me feel the hardness between his legs.

"Why don't we let the nursemaid dress Balian while you and I finish our bath," he suggests in a husky voice, his breath on my ear sending shivers racing down my spine. I let out a shaky breath, weighing the consequences of such an action—it would be an even better way of relaxing, but he might think I've forgiven him completely when I really haven't. He rinses the soap out of my hair, lips moving to place feather-light kisses on my neck that had me squirming.

"No," I breathe, scooting out of his grasp as well as I could. The tub really wasn't meant for two people and their baby so it was easy for Mozenrath to pull me back to him. "We're going to be late if you keep this up and we can't afford it." He gives a frustrated sigh, leaning back again and letting me get out of the tub. "Get washed and dressed quickly, Balian and I will meet you in the throne room." With a flick of my wrist, the outfit I had chosen for Mozenrath appeared on the table and Bae and I were dressed to match. My dress is a soft cream color that was held up by the tiniest of straps and revealed a bit of cleavage, there is also an indigo swirl design that made the gold belt around my middle stand out. Bae is dressed in simple cream pants and shirt, the shirt having indigo buttons down the front of it.

Before Moze could voice his frustration, I teleport Bae and I to the throne room, sitting down in my throne. It isn't as large as Mozenrath's, but it's made of the same dark wood and has the same magical runes carved into the arms, legs, and back. Mozenrath joins us a few moments later, dressed in cream pants and shirt, his usual black boots, a white turban in the same style of his usual one with a sapphire replacing the ruby, and his Gauntlet. "Let's get this over with."

**~X~**

The palace in Agrabah is almost always busy when it's just the usual occupants, but now that it housed the ambassadors as well for the next two days it was in complete chaos. Mozenrath frowns at the groups of people giving him and his family suspicious looks, wondering how badly Kat would punish him if he conjured a Cobra to liven things up even more. It couldn't possibly be any worse than it was now, could it? The answer was a resounding yes, it's taken him almost six months to warm Kathryn up enough to allow him to bathe with her.  _That's probably ruined now_ , he thinks sourly. "You made it!" Mozenrath jumps back when a blur of gold and pink rushes past him and tackles his wife to the ground. It's a good thing he was the one holding Balian because it was obvious from what just happened that the woman wasn't paying attention. Shani Danamir gives her sister a wide grin, sitting comfortably on her twin's stomach.

Kat smiles back at her sister, a slow relaxed smile that Mozenrath hasn't seen in a long while. The women are fraternal twins, sharing a few similarities, but not very many. Shani is all gold, pink, and bronze where Kathryn is black, white, and purple; Shani's hair is curly and Kat's is straight, Shani is confident and Kat is reserved, Shani's beauty is noticeable to all and Kat's is the type that burns from the inside. They were like night and day in so many ways, but the jealousy Kat once felt for her sister faded away sometime during their apprenticeship. He likes to think that he helped, but he knows the distance had a lot to do with it. She wasn't forced to watch as her sister was doted on for being on the good side while Kat was shunned for being born with dark magic in her veins. "Do you mind, this dress is new and I'd like it to stay in one piece," she laughs.

"Sorry, I just missed you." Shani hops up, helping her sister to her feet. "Where's the cutest nephew in the world?" She spins on her heal to face Mozenrath, taking Balian from him and walking away quickly so that Mozenrath and Kat would be forced to follow her.

"Your sister needs to learn not to take my son without asking," he grumbles, tensing and relaxing when he feels Kat's hand settle in the crook of his elbow.

"She's gonna be watching him tonight anyway, so stop complaining." A strangled groan escapes, the idea of Shani watching his son almost as bad as the idea of Genie watching him! At his surprised and agitated expression, Kat sends a small jolt of magic into his arm to make sure he wouldn't say something to her sister. Fine, but if his son ends up damaged somehow, he would make Shani wish she was never born. "If you don't behave tonight," Kat informs him in a pleasant whisper," I'll make sure you sleep in the dungeons for the next two weeks instead of my bed." He wasn't sure how to react to that news; should he be angry that she dared to threaten him or elated that she was going to let him back in her bed?

"Is that a promise?" She gives him a devious smirk, speeding up to catch up to her sister with an extra skip in her step. Mozenrath found himself watching her hips more than where he was going and that's how he found himself sprawled on the ground. While he was distracted another man had ran into him, but he hadn't stopped to help Mozenrath up so the sorcerer had no idea who to yell at. It seemed just his luck that the Sultan of Agrabah had witnessed it all and was now striding over to offer either help or a sarcastic comment about watching where he was going instead of his wife's ass. Aladdin has his usual cocky grin in place, extending his hand to help Mozenrath up. His pride bruised, Mozenrath slaps the proffered hand away and stands up himself, brushing off his clothing.

"Long time no see," the street rat comments. Considering that his enemy is now Sultan and Mozenrath was supposed to be Agrabah's ally, Mozenrath has to be coldly polite while surrounded by people like they were now.

"Not since we signed that treaty," Mozenrath nods. That day had been hot enough for a sweat to break out on Mozenrath's brow and all the decorum demanded that he dress accordingly, which meant his nicest clothing—the worst clothing one could wear on a sweltering day. The people attending the ceremony were the last you’d expect to see: the street rat, the Sultana, a parrot, a monkey, a Djinn, a flying carpet, Mozenrath himself, and Kathryn; the latter being almost eight months pregnant and the size of a balloon. He’d signed the peace treaty that stated that he would no longer attempt total takeover of the Seven Deserts and trade could pass through his lands safely as long as Mozenrath got a cut of the profits and he would receive no unexpected visitors while he was working on magic.

It seemed simple enough back then, a simple prick of his finger and few drops of blood on the expensive parchment that quickly formed his signature. Aladdin, Jasmine, and Kat quickly followed suit, though he and Kat were the only ones to use blood instead of ink. Who knew that somewhere hidden in that contract was the phrase that made Kathryn have to attend bi-monthly meetings between the ambassadors of the kingdoms that made up the Seven Deserts with Agrabah being the meeting place since it was smack-dab in the middle of everywhere? Now here he was, making polite conversation with the man he’d tried to kill on numerous occasions. Somewhere Allah was laughing his ass off, Mozenrath is sure of it. "Here you both are." The Sultana and Kat approach the men, Kat giving him a nervous look that meant she was unsure if he could actually act the way a man his age should. "It's time for us to be seated in the dining hall."

"Of course," Aladdin nods, tugging his turban into place. It was clear that Aladdin still wasn’t used to having such a high place in Agrabanian politics, but Mozenrath held no pity for the man. If he couldn't handle it, then he shouldn't have married a Princess to begin with. The Sultan and Sultana lead the way to the crowded dining hall, taking their places at the head of the table with Kat and Mozenrath seated nearby. This would be a long night.


	2. A Problem Arises

Mozenrath isn't sure which is worse, the fat ambassador on his left or his wife sitting to his right. Kat is all polite smiles and gentle teasing tonight, looking almost beautiful in her dress, the skin she shows drawing many a man's eye. While her breasts weren't as large as he would like, they were large enough that the cut of the dress showed them off more than he would normally approve of for a public event like this. And the worst part of it all is that the smiles and teasing wasn't directed at him. That's where the ambassador on his left comes into play. The man obviously didn't know who Mozenrath was because the fat man continued to ramble on about how the Lady of the Black Sands was going to meet with him soon in his rooms once this tedious dinner was over with. "Ah, the fun I could have with a little thing like her," the man smiles, voice kept low so that none but Mozenrath could hear.

Mozenrath smiles in return, though his was one that had the fat man edging away—a dangerous smile that he was known for. "I'm sure Lady Danamir would not dare share a bed with a man that wasn't her husband." Exactly how  _did_ Kathryn earn the awestruck looks of her fellow ambassadors? Did she lie about having so many meetings just to escape the citadel and have an affair with one of these men?

"She hasn't broken down yet," Jihad al-Din whispers in a conspiratorial tone, leaning forward again," but when she does, I'll be waiting for her. Shouldn't be long now and I bet she's a little hell cat in bed—how her husband could deny anything to her is beyond me.” _Yes, she is a little hell cat, but she's_ **my** _hell cat and no other's_. “Of course, I wouldn't make her an ambassador."

"And why is that?"

"She's a  _woman_! The only woman that should be concerned about politics is the poor Sultana here; her husband wouldn't know a peace treaty from a war declaration." Mozenrath looks at his wife, watching her smoothly talk her way out of spending tomorrow night in Agrabah.  "Lord Mozenrath must be a fool indeed to allow his wife to run around with no guidance—why, I'm surprised she hasn't ran away." Mozenrath raises an eyebrow in question. "Everyone knows just how cruel that sorcerer is, he kidnapped the girl from this here palace, trained her in dark magic, and forced her to marry him and have his child." Jihad looks around to make sure no one was paying them any mind.

Everyone at the table was involved in their own discussions, a busy hum filling the room. "Please, tell me what else Mozenrath did." He was entertained by the tales circulating and wondered if Kathryn was too.

"Well, rumor has it that the night of their wedding three gods came calling to save her from Mozenrath's clutches. The Sultan and Djinn were there as well, having contacted the gods by some mysterious means or another. Anyway, Mozenrath cast a spell to weaken the gods, forcing them to run before he could kill them and then he cast a spell on the other two that caused them to forget ever knowing Kathryn. Their devil spawn was created that night, stretching her and breaking bones whenever it moved. Poor girl nearly died in childbirth." He shakes his head sadly, chancing a look in Kat's direction with pity and lust burning brightly in his eyes.

"Funny," Mozenrath muses," I don't remember it happening quite like that. In fact, Balian's birth was an easy one considering she had magic to help her along and dull the pain."

"And just how would you know that? Who are you anyway?"

"Oh, did I forget to introduce myself? Forgive me, most people around here recognize me instantly from back when the Sultan was just a Prince and fighting enemies on an almost daily basis." Mozenrath gives Jihad a mocking smile now. "I am Mozenrath, Lord of the Black Sands and Kathryn's husband." Jihad pales instantaneously, a sweat beginning to break out on his forehead. Mozenrath grins in satisfaction, returning to his meal and ignoring the shaking man beside him. That would teach Jihad to talk about women with men he does not know—perhaps it will also stop the man's attempts to get with Kathryn.

"I'm ready to retire for the evening," Kathryn whispers in his ear, breasts brushing his arm and making his breathing catch in his throat. "Make an excuse to get away after I leave. You do know where our chambers are located, don't you?" He nods, watching as she excuses herself from the table, claiming to have a headache and wanting to lie down.

"Do you want me to have Azam escort you," Aladdin asks in his customary chivalrous manner.

"No, don't bother—I can make it there on my own." She gives the Sultan and Sultana polite nods before walking off. Now, what excuse could he use to get away from the dinner and into his wife's waiting arms? As he waited for the time he was to leave, his thoughts turned to what his wife was doing; would she be waiting for him with a nightcap? He could certainly use a drink right about now. His nose scrunches up in distaste, cutting his gaze towards Jihad. The man smelled like a goat. After five minutes, Mozenrath stands and nods at Agrabah's rulers.

"I think it's time I go relieve my sister-in-law and pick up my son." Aladdin nods, Jasmine smiles, and Jihad gives a snort. Mozenrath raises an eyebrow at the rude noise, almost grinning when Jihad sinks further down in his chair. With a small satisfied smile, Mozenrath takes his leave, using magic the second the doors shut behind him to teleport to his wife's chambers. The sitting room is empty, the fire in the hearth now glowing embers, the bathroom is the same way, but there is a trail of clothing leading into the bedroom that he is eager to follow. Reclining against the headboard is his wife, her dark hair hanging free and covering her breasts from his hungry gaze.

"Do I meet your approval, Lord Mozenrath," she questions, crawling to perch at the end of the bed in front of him.

"You're even better than I imagined," he murmurs, brushing her hair over her shoulders so he could see all of her. She smiles, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him onto the bed beneath her. He grins, using magic to dispose of his clothes, leaving no barrier between them and no reason not to continue. Kathryn straddles him, careful not to let him enter her just yet despite the fact that both of them were more than ready. He knew for certainty that his wife hadn't shared another man's bed and was suffering just as much as he was. "What are you waiting for, Kat?" She cocks her head to the side, studying him for a long moment, her hands resting on his hard chest and tracing small patterns there.

Just as he was about to flip them over and take control, Kathryn nods and leans down to kiss him. It was like she was trying to convince herself of something, but he didn't care at the time because he finally had his wife back in his arms after more than a year of torture.

* * *

I give a contented sigh, snuggling closer to Mozenrath and smiling when I feel him wrap and arm around me. I’ve missed these peaceful moments, the silence comfortable again instead of strained as it was before tonight. “Do you love me,” Moze asks softly, playing with some of my hair. I shrug, tracing patterns on his bare chest to keep me occupied.

“I respect you,” I answer in an equally quiet tone. “I love our son.”

“I love him too.” I look up at him, taking in his tousled hair and flushed cheeks with a grin. “Do I look amusing?” He’s grinning now too, wrapping his arms securely around me. He doesn’t look as exhausted as he did a few weeks ago, maybe a break is just what he needed. The leather of his gauntlet is smooth, practically vibrating with the magic it contains and making my skin tingle. I hate that thing and the only reason I haven’t thrown it away is because I know how dependent Mozenrath is. “I suppose I should get dressed and go check on our son.”

“I’ll do it, just relax.” Using magic, I quickly don my nightgown and robe, bending to kiss my husband before walking down the hall to the nursery. The room is the same colors as the rest of Agrabah, the dominant color being white with golden accents. There are bookshelves on the right wall, full of children’s stories and stuffed animals; the left wall has two cribs, one painted a pale purple and the other a dark red. I walk over to the red crib, expecting to find my son sleeping in it only to find the light blanket laying in a crumpled heap in the corner and a note fastened to the pillow—the parchment is expensive and the words are written in an elegant hand.

_Come and find me, Kat._

**~Elsewhere~**

Apophis grins down at the sleeping infant in his arms, triumph shining in his gold eyes. It seems strange that something so small would be the key to achieving his revenge—something that he could easily kill with just a few quick movements—yet it seemed suitable that it would be a child that is Mozenrath and Kathryn’s undoing, appropriate. Yes, this little boy will know death before his second birthday and his parents will know pain—true pain!

His thoughts turn to what he wanted to do before killing the couple as he lays the baby down in a crib he had summoned. Should he kill Kathryn in front of Moze or vice versa? How should he kill Kathryn—quick or slow, with a blade or by hand? He wanted it to hurt, wanted them to feel the pain that he had times ten and then some! They deserved pain, deserved to be tested and put on trial for the gods to decide their fate! “Soon, Kat,” he whispers,” I’ll have everything I’ve ever wanted and your magic will help me do that.”

He grins, listening to the woman’s blood curdling scream as it echoes through the palace. With a simple cloaking spell that only the gods were capable of, Apophis would be able to stay in the palace and watch the drama unfold without being noticed or suspected. Little Balian will be under their noses this whole time and none but him will know.


	3. Reasons why

 Kathryn’s heartbroken screams echo off the walls of the palace, reaching every nook and cranny and driving the people out of their rooms to see what was happening. Mozenrath jerks out of his light slumber, dressing quickly and running down the hall to the nursery—the Sultan and Sultana beating him there by mere minutes. Aladdin is kneeling on the floor next to Kat, his arms wrapped around her as she sobbed into his shoulder. “What’s happened,” he asks breathlessly, not having moved so quickly since Balian was born.

“Mozenrath.” Jasmine approaches him cautiously, her daughter cradled in her arms and her wide brown eyes filled with tears. “Something’s happened and you may want to sit down first.” Mozenrath’s brow furrows, looking at his wife’s sobbing form a few feet away from him. “It’s your son….Someone has taken him.” And like that, Mozenrath’s world seemed to collapse around him, his legs bucking and driving him to the floor. It was like he’d been struck, the pain in his chest hurting like nothing he’d ever before encountered—and he’d had his fair share of aches in his younger days.

“My baby,” Kathryn screams again, clutching tightly to Aladdin as the sobs continue. Mozenrath stares straight ahead, his mind stopped, every part of him numb except for the throbbing in his chest. How was it possible to feel like this, so guilty even though there was nothing he could have done? This is what true loss felt like, and he didn’t like it at all. He’d never felt this type of grief—his mother died when he was two, his father in a war before he was born, and Destane—his uncle that had never truly loved anyone—was stuck in a state of suspended animation. He’d never had the chance to form bonds with anyone except Kat and Bae.

“Why wasn’t anyone guarding the nursery,” Aladdin demands as Rasoul enters the room. The old man’s face is bordering on depression, the form in his arms telling all. “Is that…?”

“Yes,” Rasoul rasps,” Farid was killed when the kidnapper broke in.” Rasoul had retired a few years ago after his son joined the guard and now he held his son in his arms. Shakily, Mozenrath gets to his feet to examine the boy, noting the burns and faint rise and fall of his chest. “Can you help him, Necromancer?”

“He’s not dead,” Mozenrath answers, letting his gauntlet hover over the boy’s chest and healing the wounds. “Take him to rest, he should be fine in a few days.” Rasoul nods his head stiffly, handing Farid off to another of the guards.

“I wish to help in locating your son.”

“If Farid was badly injured, what happened to Shani? She was supposed to be watching Balian.”

“She’s fine,” Jasmine assures him,” she was eating her dinner when Bae was taken, so she wasn’t in any danger.” He nods, feeling beginning to come back in one painful blow that made him stumble and fall to the ground beside his wife. She latches onto him, her hands fisting in the material of his shirt and her head buried in the crook of his neck. He holds her just as tightly, both parents needing to know at least someone in their small family is still okay and out of harm’s way.

“It’s him,” Kat sniffles,” I know his magic signature, Mozenrath.” She pulls back, looking up at him with wide dark eyes shining with tears. A fierce anger is growing there, one only a mother can manage when her children are in danger. “Apophis wasn’t destroyed like we thought, he took my baby and when I get my hands on him, I’ll make the beating Ra gave him look like child’s play!” Staring down at her in that moment, he remembers why he began to fall for her in the first place—the old hate inside her rising to the surface making her seem to glow.

“We’ll get Balian back,” he promises with a dark smile,” and then we can _break_ Apophis as many times as you like.” With his arms still around his wife, he stands and brings her up with him, facing the others in the room. Genie had entered at some point, dressed in a long striped top with a sleeping cap on his big blue head.

“What’s with all the hubbub,” he asks drowsily, the monkey and bird coming in soon after he spoke.

“Balian’s been kidnapped,” Aladdin answers, now holding his daughter tightly as though if he let her go she would disappear too. “I want you to stay in Jasmine’s salon with her and the baby while the rest of us begin the search for Balian.”

“Why am I staying in the salon,” Jasmine asks with raised brows. Mozenrath can’t help the small twitch of a smile as Jasmine’s _You’re in trouble_ look focuses on Aladdin for once instead of himself. “I’m just as capable a fighter as the rest of you and you know it!” _She’s better than most of us_ , Mozenrath thinks reluctantly, _especially with that whip of hers_.

“Because….” Aladdin trails off, stepping closer to his wife and speaking to her too softly for Mozenrath to catch. Kat tugs on his arm until he bent down a little so she could whisper in his ear.

“Preggers,” Kat says quietly. “I can read lips.” He gives an _oh_ noise, nodding in understanding. He couldn’t blame Aladdin for wanting Jasmine to stay in the palace, he’d do the same if it was Kat in Jasmine’s place. “Can we save the mushy goodbyes,” she says loud enough for the others to hear just as Aladdin went in for a kiss,” we have a baby to save and if something happens to him because you guys needed to exchange goodbye speeches, then I’ll murder you all.”

If they didn’t believe her at first, then her cold expression made it clear she wasn’t joking. She had no ties to these people except for a flimsy sheet of parchment and her sister, and it would be easy to turn Shani against these people if need be. “Shall we get started,” Mozenrath inquires with raised brows, his magic burning under his skin, itching to be used. Aladdin nods grimly, settling little Sibylla in her mother’s arms before ushering her and his sidekicks out of the nursery. “Where should we start, Kat?”

“His crib, there might still be a trace of magic there.” She moves out of the circle of his arms, resting shaking hands on the edge of the dark red crib made specifically for the overnight visits Kat has to make sometimes for private meetings with the rulers of all Seven Kingdoms. He watches her as a violet glow surrounds her hands, her eyes closing as she focuses hard. A bit shaky himself, Mozenrath joins his wife, resting his hands on either side of her smaller ones.

She was right, there was magic left here, but it was too faint to do anything with. He knows the moment Kat processes that, knows it by the shaking of her body, the feeling of absolute helpless rage and despair vibrating around inside her; he knows because he feels the exact same way. “We’ll find him,” he whispers in her ear, his voice breaking in the middle as his hands clench the crib tighter and he rests his head on Kathryn’s shoulder. When they move away, there are two sets of handprints burned into the wood.

“Was there anything,” Rasoul asks from his spot by the door, still looking strong even at his age.

“Nothing, we have to start from scratch.”

“Kathryn….Are you—“

Kathryn screams again, this one to let out a small fraction of her anger and frustration. Her hands are clenched tightly into fists at her sides and the palace shook slightly. Mozenrath was used to these little fits from when she was just starting out and couldn’t always control her magic. “Feeling better,” he asks as things calm down.

“No, but I’m saving the worst of it for that snake,” she snarls, storming out of the nursery with her dressing gown billowing out behind her.

“Sh-should we worried,” Aladdin asks nervously, pointing in the direction Kat just went.

“Mm…” Mozenrath thinks for a moment, before shaking his head in dismissal. “No, she won’t kill anyone.” Just after he spoke a shrill scream rips through the silence and the trio run out in the hallway in time to see Kathryn storming away while Jihad al-Din sat smoking on the ground, his face covered in dark ash and his hair standing on end. Mozenrath can’t help the dark laugh that escapes. “I knew there was a reason why I married her.”


End file.
